Breathing
a sigh of relief, Crabbers want more and Fish skin fashions
By Laine Welch

December 17, 2007
Monday AM

Fishermen are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that the latest
sea lion counts won't force more fishing closures - at least
for the near future.

"At this point it looks
like there will be no changes out on the water in terms of the
current regulations for Steller sea lion mitigation before January
2010," said Doug DeMaster, director of the NOAA Fisheries
Science lab in Juneau.

Western stocks of Steller sea
lions were listed by the federal government in 1990 as a threatened
species, following decades of population declines. That listing
resulted in a complex patchwork of fishing closures in waters
within three, 10 even 20 miles of sea lion haul outs, rookeries
and other "critical habitat" regions.

From 2000 to 2004 the western
stock increased by about four percent each year, the first positive
turn around since the 1970s. Surveys this year showed sea lion
numbers from Cape Saint Elias to the Aleutian Islands remained
stable overall, with notable increases in some prime fishing
regions.

"For the past three years
sea lions have increased in the Central and Western Gulf by 13
percent and eight percent, respectively, and by three percent
in the Eastern Aleutians," DeMaster said. "That's a
positive sign, for sure."

"It's great news. These
are important areas where most commercial fishing occurs for
pollock, cod and Atka mackerel," said Donna Parker of Arctic
Storm Fisheries.

DeMaster cautioned that it
is too soon to tell if the positive numbers reflect a real trend.

"Because we do the sea
lion counts every other year, 10 years would give us five points
from start to end. And that's about what you need to have confidence
that the trend is reliable," he said.

Scientists and the industry
are working closely with the North Pacific Fishery Management
Council to complete a sea lion recovery plan and related documents
by March of 2008. Under the Endangered Species Act, decisions
must be based on what actions might jeopardize or adversely modify
critical habitat of a listed species.

"There is general agreement
that no single factor explains the decline or lack of robust
recovery," DeMaster said.

Meanwhile, fishery managers
must bear the burden of proof that sea lions and fisheries can
co-exist and thrive while sharing the same marine environment.

Crabbers want more

Crabbers will get down to business
next month when they drop pots for snow crab in the Bering Sea,
and they hope the crab's popularity will help them fetch more
for their catch. The crab fishery, Alaska's largest, officially
opens in mid-October but the fleet of about 75 boats waits till
mid-January to begin fishing in earnest

Crabbers last week set a minimum
price of $1.62 a pound, said negotiator Greg White of the Inter-Cooperative
Exchange, which represents crabbers who catch 70 percent of the
king and snow crab in the Bering Sea. That compares to an average
price of $1.50 a pound last season for a fishery that produced
36 million pounds of snow crab.

"We've gotten mostly good
response. Most processors have said $1.62 seems in the ball park,"
White said.
The 2008 catch quota is up significantly to nearly 57 million
pounds, but markets appear ready to buy. According to Seafood
Trend's Ken Talley, average wholesale prices for snow crab imports
have gained 30.5 percent from a year ago and are holding steady.
Supplies of competing crab, namely, Dungeness and king crab also
are down and likely to remain so for some time.

By all accounts, Russia has
put the brakes on all illegal crab fishing, meaning a big crimp
in world supply. White said buying interest for snow crab has
increased in Europe and in the U.S., and sales are starting to
overshadow the more traditional Japanese market.

"Last year the Japanese
did not buy much Alaska snow crab. That turned out to be a good
thing because they were paying were considerably less than the
U.S. market," said White.

Russia supplies roughly 150
million pounds of snow crab to world markets each year; another
200 million pounds comes from Eastern Canada. White said the
Alaska increase to 57 million pounds is not enough to upset current
market dynamics.

"In the context of world
production, it's not a huge increase in supply of snow crab,"
he said.

What Alaska snow crab lacks
in poundage is made up for by its rock star popularity, said
market expert John Sackton of Seafood.com.

"I don't think people
in Alaska fully realize the tremendous impact the 'Deadliest
Catch' program has had on both the consumption and knowledge
of its crab," he said. "People who in the past had
never given Alaska crab a second thought start spouting off facts
and figures and talk about what the fishermen go through. It
is truly an amazing phenomenon and has shaped the way people
think about crab."

Fish skin fashions

Fish skins are becoming a 'haute'
product for designer fashions and accessories. A Marie-B Collection
of 'Funkifish' bikinis was launched in London this year, each
fetching more than $300. A similar bikini ­ made from 15
tilapia skins - will cost you $75 in Thailand. The Bangkok
Press said tilapia skins are being used for everything from
key rings to couches.

The Scripps Howard News Service
said Dior sold pink salmon shoes for $800 at a fashion show and
Bottega Veneta featured a stingray clutch for $1,180. Givenchy
had a small evening stingray purse on a silk cord for $1,620.
The designers all hailed fish skin's softness, beauty, durability
and versatility.

"It's a relatively new
industry if you use the timeline of how leather was developed,"
said Stanley Major of Sea Leather Wear in Calgary, Canada.

Major sells mostly carp skins
and lesser amounts of perch and salmon that come in a variety
of textures and colors. The fish skins are tanned in Canada,
a process that does not require the harsh lyes and acids needed
to remove hair from animal skins.

"More people appreciate
that, as well as turning something bound for the dump into designer
fashions," Major said. Check out the fish skins at www.sealeatherwear.com
.

Kodiak-based Laine
Welch has been reporting news of Alaska's seafood industry for
print and radio for 20 years. Fish Factor appears in 15 newspapers
and websites. Laine's Fish Radio programs air daily on more than
25 stations across Alaska.
Contact Laine at msfish[AT]alaska.com

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